It's a New Start
by xRae Asakurax
Summary: Prowl gave Jazz the most precious gift of all. Life. ProwlJazz, SunstreakerRatchetSideswipe, hints of WheeljackBluestreak.
1. Chapter 1

**Rae:** (Sighs) Yes, I have decided to put up a Transformers fanfic. I'm sorry, but I had to do _something_ to make this obsession over Transformers ease. Yes, G1 is my favorite continuity and no I won't be accepting requests for fics in this universe.

Okay, enough of my morbid mutterings, read and enjoy! Remember, I don't own Transformers in any way, shape or form. I only own Darkwing.

* * *

Prowl sat on the repair table, legs dangling over the edge. Their light swinging was the only indication of his nervousness. He heard Ratchet call Mirage over the comms, and Mirage's slightly gravelly voice answered.

"Yo Ratch, what's up?"

"I need you down at medbay, stat." The medic snapped, then closed the link. He put a hand over his face for a few seconds before going back to Prowl. "I can't believe you managed this," he grumbled.

"It wasn't exactly planned." The Datsun said, a little stiffly.

"I know, I know. It's just, I haven't had to deal with anything like this in... well, millenia. The war just kinda, put a damper on it." Ratchet sighed. "Does Jazz know?"

"No, and I want to keep it that way. That's why I requested Mirage." Prowl looked at his feet, an unreadable expression on his face. "I don't want to get his hopes up, Ratchet. I don't want him to look forward to it that badly, and then something to go wrong. It's better if he not know and I keep the sorrow to myself, if it comes." Ratchet nodded, and both of them looked up when the medbay doors cycled open to admit Mirage.

"Mind if Mirage knows? He won't tell anyone." The medic asked. Prowl looked at the spy for a few moments, then groaned in resignment. "Fine. But no one else."

"Know what?" Mirage looked curiously from medic to tactician and back again.

Prowl grimaced, and Ratchet spared him a sympathetic look before answering Mirage. "He's sparked, 'Raj."

The spy's optics widened at that. "What?! When?"

"A week ago." Prowl replied. "I thought it was just the sensory nodes in my chest that had gotten a virus, but when I came down to Ratchet for a check-up..." He trailed off. Ratchet continued where Prowl left off. "Which is why we need you, Mirage. Or specifically, your ability to create holographic illusions." Mirage's optics softened.

"I understand. You want to maintain this physique so no one suspects anything, right?" At Ratchet's affirmation he hopped up onto one of the empty berths. "Take whatever you need, Doc bot."

--

Prowl moved carefully in his usual posture until he got to his office. A pile of data pads and unsigned or unaffirmed documents decorated half of his desk. He sat down in his chair with relative ease, concealing a slight wince that would have shown at the brief cramping pain. Grabbing the nearest data pad, he proceeded to look it over and file it as appropriate.

An hour and a half later, his office door cycled open. Prowl didn't even need to look up to know who it was. The only other mech besides Prime that knew his office code and came in without knocking. "Afternoon, Jazz."

"'Noon, Prowler. Y'back at work again? Right after you been to medbay?" At that, Prowl stopped what he was doing and stared at Jazz. "How did you know I was in medbay?"

Jazz shrugged. "I saw you as havin' logged into Hatchet's place about 2 hours ago. I was just wonderin' what was up."

Prowl relaxed slightly, though it wasn't visible. "Yeah, I just went in for a tune up. The sensory nodes in my chest were playing up, so Ratchet fixed them for me."

"And what 'bout 'Raj? He logged in while you were still there. What was up with him?"

"His holo projector and a prank. You do the math." Prowl gave Jazz a pointed look, and the saboteur laughed. "Sweet," he grinned.

"Call it what you will. Ratchet wasn't too happy."

Jazz just gave another light laugh, graced Prowl with a long but chaste kiss and plopped his frame down onto the sofa he insisted Prowl install in his office. The Datsun watched him, a small smile playing on his lips, thinking that he'd do anything to keep Jazz happy and laughing.

--

_(5 days later)_

Prowl stood outside Prime's office. He'd been called there, the message saying that it was nothing overly important, but there was something Prime would like to ask. He knocked, and Prime's voice rumbled, "Come in."

"You wished to see me, sir?" Prowl said as the door shut behind him.

"Yes. I wanted to know why you seem to be giving yourself less time on duty. You're usually so... obsessive." Optimus said the last word as though he wasn't sure it was the right word to use. Prowl cycled air though his vents noisily.

"Jazz kept telling me I was working too hard, that I needed to slow down the work. After Ratchet replaced the sensors in my chest a few days ago, I decided to take his advice." He shrugged. "I didn't think it would matter too much."

"No no, I was simply curious. I'm glad, actually. I always thought you worked way too hard. Even I don't work that hard, and I'm the leader." Prowl smiled slightly, and left their leader's office with the thoughts that he'd become quite good at lying these past few days. Of course, his reputation of being someone who never lied helped somewhat.

**:**_Now what's this? Prowler tellin' a fib?_**:** Jazz's sudden amused intrusion into their bond startled him out of his musings.

**:**_That's bull, Jazz. You of all mechs should know that._**:**

**:**_Yeah, yeah, I know. Just teasin' ya. D'you know what Hound's just told me?_**:**

**:**_No, what?_**:**

**:**_He just told me that 'Raj is actin' strange, like he knows somethin' taboo, but he ain't tellin'. Any ideas as to what he might be hidin'?_**:**

**:**_Jazz, I tend not to make it a habit to know everyone's deepest darkest secrets,_**: **said Prowl, dryly. **:**_If he's got something he doesn't want people to know about then that's fine. Leave him be._**:**

**:**_But Hound's sayin' he looks shifty every time your name is mentioned._**:**

**:**_And that would be nothing to do with the fact that I punished him for the first time since he joined Prime's division_**:** Prowl said sarcastically. **:**_And tell that to anyone, and you will be very sorry._**:**

**:**_I hear ya. But dang, 'Raj? In trouble? I guess there's a first for everythin'._**:** Jazz flooded the bond with love briefly before he subsided.

--

The sparkling was little more than a metal skeletal frame. All its internal mechanisms and its bright silver Spark were bared for the world to see. A tube of metal from his chest still connected Prowl to the sparkling. He let some energon flow down the tube, and the wailing sparkling quieted immediately. He smiled gently; it was just hungry. He looked up from cradling the small frame as Ratchet walked in. "Do you know?" He asked.

The medic nodded. "It's a femme. Your little one is a femme. Or will be, at least. I can... make some armor for her, if you like." Prowl inclined his head, thanks in his optics. "That would be great, Ratchet. She'll be protected, then, at least."

Ratchet nodded again. "I'll start right away."

Prowl was lead out of Ratchet's private office back into the medbay area. The ambulance busied himself with measuring the sparkling for its armor, and there was silence for a while. Eventually, he broke it with a question directed at Prowl.

"What are you going to name her?"

The Datsun started slightly, not expecting the interruption to the silence, but considered the question. "No, I won't name her yet," he finally answered. "I want Jazz to help me come up with a name. I'll show him our daughter tomorrow. Until then, can I stay here while you work on her?"

Ratchet chuckled. "I couldn't keep you away, Prowl," he said, pointing with amusement at the tube proceeding from between the tactician's chest plates.

--

Jazz sprinted into the Ark, ignoring First Aid's yells for him to come back and get himself patched up. His only priority at that moment was Prowl. He'd felt a blinding, momentarily immobilizing flash of pain from Prowl's end of the bond during the battle, and there had been a flurry of unintelligable yells through the communications from Ratchet, First Aid, Swoop, Wheeljack and Ironhide. He'd tried to contact Prowl, but when he found the mental equivalent to a brick wall on his side of the bond, Jazz knew he was masking his pain.

He skidded round the corner, years of practice being the only thing that kept him from careening into the opposite wall. He raced into the medbay only to be stopped by Wheeljack.

"Jazz-" He began, a hopeless and sad look in his optics. Jazz felt his circuits go cold, and pushed past Wheeljack to where he could see Prowl on one of the berths. Or what was left of Prowl, anyway. Ratchet was working frantically around Prowl's Spark chamber and swearing profusely, yelling at everything and everyone. Jazz grasped Prowl's hand tightly and began to beg him to wake up, to say something, both out loud and through the bond. Five minutes later he was rewarded when the mech's optics unshuttered slightly.

"Jazz...?" He asked, weakly. Jazz felt himself go weak with relief at the sound of his lover's voice.

"I'm here, Prowler. I'm here, and I ain't goin' nowhere." A fresh wave of panic swept through the saboteur, however, when he felt Prowl's half of the bond waver and weaken.

"I won't... Jazz, I'm sorry." Prowl's voice stuttered as his vocalizer broke for a moment.

"No. No, don't say that, Prowler. You'll be fine, I know you will!" Jazz was near hysterics as it slowly sunk in that his bond mate was dying.

"You have to feel it, Jazz. My Spark... it's fading. You can feel it. I know you can."

"You ain't leavin' me! You can't! I love you!" Jazz's voice hitched with anguish.

"I'm sorry... Promise me something, Jazz." Prowl gave Jazz a wavering but intense look, and the mech could do nothing but nod. "Anythin'," he whispered.

"Say you'll look after her. Live for her... for both of us. Show her everything I can't." He paused, then smiled contentedly as Jazz affirmed he would, though his expression showed confusion through the sorrow and anger. "I love you, and I'll be waiting for you," He said softly, before his optics shuttered closed. Ratchet started a fresh wave of profanities that Jazz wasn't sure the medic was aware he knew.

"Slagger! Don't you dare die on me!" He growled. Wheeljack and Swoop rushed to help him. They tried desperately to keep Prowl's Spark from guttering out, but in the end the monitor let out an endless, emotionless beep, announcing that the Spark it had been monitoring was gone.

Ratchet's expression was one of sheer helplessness, an expression that Jazz had never seen on the medic's face. "I'm so sorry, Jazz. There was nothing we could do." He said, regret and sadness strong in his voice. Jazz didn't say a word, just stared numbly at the shell that his lover had just occupied. After a few moments he turned on his heel and headed straight for his quarters, where he finally broke down.

--

Ratchet walked into Jazz's quarters a couple of hours later carrying two cubes of energon. He carefully placed one next to the motionless mech. The saboteur was laying on his berth, back to the medic, but Ratchet knew he was awake.

"Drink this, Jazz. You'll feel a bit better." He gently coaxed the younger mech into sitting up and taking the cube. There was silence for a few moments, then he spoke so softly that Ratchet almost didn't hear him.

"It hurts, Ratch. It hurts so much. I feel... strange, not havin' him constantly in the back of my processer. I just feel like givin' up."

"Don't you dare," Ratchet bit out. He immediately felt guilty when the saboteur winced, and spoke again in softer tones. "It's extremely rare that bondmates outlast each other. You've done extremely well not to have followed Prowl so far, and I'm not about to let you do it now." He paused. "Come with me to medbay, Jazz. I have something for you, from Prowl." Jazz's head shot up to stare at the ambulance. "From... Prowl?" Ratchet nodded and got up, and Jazz could only follow numbly.

When they got to the medbay, there were still a couple of mechs being tended to by First Aid and Swoop. To Jazz's surprise they didn't stay in the medbay, but went straight on through to Ratchet's private office. There was a soft wailing when they entered, and Ratchet let a small smile slide onto his face. "Sounds like she's hungry. You want to feed her?"

"Feed... her?" Jazz's optics widened when Ratchet lifted a tiny sparkling from a berth in the corner of his office.

"Yeah. Prowl never told you, because he couldn't bear to get your hopes up about this only to have them shattered if something went wrong. Around eight months ago, your...activities lead to Prowl sparking. He came into medbay about a week later telling me that the sensory nodes in his chest were acting up, but when I examined him I found another Spark in his chest, right next to his own. Another life." Ratchet paused to let that sink in and hand the tiny femme and a bottle of energon to Jazz before he continued. "She was born last night. I made the armor for her, upon Prowl's request. He was going to wait until today to show her to you but..." The medic trailed off for a few seconds, not trusting his vocalizer to continue. He shook his head to clear his processer.

"He wanted you to help him come up with a name for her. You have to name her now."

Jazz just stared in sheer amazement at the sparkling that was now greedily taking in the energon. "She... I have a daughter," he whispered.

"Yes. Consider her Prowl's gift to you," said Ratchet, smiling, before he turned and left his office, leaving Jazz with his new family. The saboteur started gently rocking the sparkling, and broke out into a smile when she began to hum happily.

"So this is what you meant, Prowler." He sat and held the tiny femme close to his chassis."Your name will be Darkwing." **:**_I'll treasure her always. Thank you, love._**:**

**Rae:** Okay, there's chapter one. all the chapters are being put up at once, so yeah. review please!


	2. Chapter 2

"Dark, no! Put that down!" Jazz took a laser scalpel out of his daughter's hand as Ratchet worked on the last piece of her new armor. The medic just shook his head. He knew how curious younglings could be, but the offspring of Jazz just screamed curiosity with a dangerous edge. He snapped the piece into place and fired up the welder one last last time. The femme giggled as he started to attach it properly to her frame.

Admittedly, he mused, Jazz was an excellent father. The Porsche was strict, but gently so. He never over-did anything around Darkwing, which surprised him somewhat as Jazz tended to over-do everything. He was also devoted to teaching his daughter everything he could. She could talk exceptionally well for a youngling of only three months, and she was getting very flexible in her movements, much like Jazz himself. She seemed to have developed her mother's logics, as sometimes she'd point out to her father that something he said or did just didn't make sense to her.

She couldn't yet transform, as she wasn't quite big enough yet, but Jazz already knew which vehicular mode he wanted for her. A Corvette C6 Coupe. Ratchet had grinned a little at that; trust Jazz to ask for something flashy. They all looked up as the doors cycled open and Sideswipe sauntered in, obviously having just got off duty. He favored the CMO with a loving look before he noticed the femme perched on a berth in front of Ratchet. He grinned and walked over to her. Darkwing's face lit up in recognition, and she held out her small arms as he came closer.

"Sideswipe!" She chirped happily. The red Lamborghini laughed and took both her outstretched hands in a gentleness not many knew he possessed.

"Hey there, Dark! How're you feeling?"

"Good," she replied, tugging playfully on Sideswipe's hands. "Ra'chet fixing my armor. I growed out of my last lot."

"Already? You're growing fast, Dark." He paused and cocked his head to one side as though listening for something. His grin widened a bit and he added, "Sunny says you're growing up too fast, but when you've reached full height he'll give you a full paint job."

Darkwing nodded solemnly, considering the Lambo's words. "How tall you think I going to be, Sides?" She asked him, optics bright.

Sideswipe looked at Jazz, then considered Prowl's height. "I reckon a little shorter than your Dad. You'll be about the same height as your mother was. So," He moved to Jazz and put his hand about halfway down the saboteur's face. "About here," he finished. Ratchet shut off the welder, having finshed attaching her last armor part.

"There," he said. "You're all done." Darkwing gave a small noise of happiness and jumped off the berth. Before she touched the ground, though, she was swept from the air and placed gently onto someone's shoulders. She looked down to see her father giving her an amused look from between her knees and the Lambo twin smirking. They jumped, though, when Ratchet threw a wrench at Sideswipe and hit him squarely on the helm. "Out," he said, amusment entwined with his gruff tone.

They didn't need telling twice. They left the medbay, Sideswipe rubbing ruefully at his head and growling at his brother to shut up. Apparently Sunstreaker had seen the whole thing through their bond and found it immensely funny to see his brother get nailed by the Hatchet.

Dark giggled as she heard Sideswipe swearing at his brother, and Jazz hissed a reprimand at the twin. She was quiet for a moment, then said suddenly, "I want see Sunny." Both mechs looked at her in surprise, but agreed to her demand.

--

Stepping into the monitoring center, Darkwing jumped down off her father's shoulders and ran to Sunstreaker. Jazz watched Sideswipe join her, but made no move to himself. When Sunny was first introduced to Darkwing, Jazz was a little wary. He knew of the yellow mech's volatile nature, but to his surprise Sunny seemed to take to his daughter very well. Granted he wasn't as physical as his brother with her, preferring to talk to her over holding her, and he still told her off if she scratched his paint, but he always looked happy to see her.

He smiled at the rememberance of what Sides had said to Dark, that she'd be about as tall as her mother. He agreed with the Lamborghini wholeheartedly. Ratchet had said to him that younglings reach their full height within eight months to a year of being born, so they grew up exceptionally fast. Darkwing was now level with Jazz's hip, her horns adding a little bit of extra height that just about reached his waist. She was definately a combination of himself and Prowl. She had horns on her helm and a visor like Jazz, but her visor was retractable where his wasn't. She'd gained the chevron from Prowl, and he had a feeling that when she was ready to get her alt mode she'd have doorwings like him too.

He sighed and wondered, not for the first time, if Prowl would be proud of the way he'd raised Darkwing so far. He was jerked out of his musings, however, when Sunstreaker called his name for what apparently wasn't the first time.

"Yeah, Sunny?"

"You okay, Jazz? You sort of spaced out there for a while." Sunny was watching him carefully, and Darkwing had an odd expression on her face. Jazz was about to reply when the youngling dragged herself away from the twins and came over to Jazz, placing a small hand on his thigh and looking up at him. Whatever he had been about to say died in his vocalizer when he saw the intense look with which she was staring at him.

"You miss mommy," she stated quietly. "I do. I wish I knowed mommy. You tell me about her, I want to see her." She took her hand off his thigh and put it over her Spark casing. "It hurt here, sometimes. Like I missing something."

Jazz could only stare, dumbfounded, at the insight with which his daughter spoke. Her intense mood seemed to vanish in an instant, though, and suddenly she was back with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe acting like the sparkling she was. He was left with the mindset that Darkwing was a femme far more complicated than he originally thought.

--

Jazz screeched into the rec room on two wheels while Darkwing giggled and yelled happily from where she was strapped into the passenger seat of the mech's alt mode. He transformed about half-way across the room, sending Darkwing straight up into the air. He caught her gently on her descent, and she hugged her father asking him to do it again. Jazz shook his head, however.

"Uh-uh, Dark. You need some energon. You're gettin' low." He paused, then grinned. "Actually, I am too. You're makin' me use up all of my energy," he teased.

"You start it," she protested. He held up the hand not carrying her in defeat. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, laughing. It was only as he was getting two cubes of energon, one large and one small, after putting Darkwing down that he became aware of the other mechs in the room. Bluestreak, Mirage, Hound, Bumblebee and Powerglide all wore slightly scandalized expressions, and Huffer, Blaster, Wheeljack and Blurr looked thoroughly amused.

"She started it," said Jazz, cheerily. This elicited a series of chuckles around the room, and Jazz plonked himself down next to Wheeljack. He handed the youngling her drink when she came scuttling over for it, picking her up and sitting her on his knee once she had it. Wheeljack smiled warmly when Dark leaned back and arranged herself until she was comfy against her father's chest and started to slurp her energon.

"Quietly, Dark," Jazz told her, tapping her helm. She looked sheepish and started drinking again, but this time much quieter.

"You're a good father, Jazz," the inventor clicked in Cybertronian. "I just know Prowl would be proud of you. Both of you."

Jazz looked at Wheeljack in surprise and gratitude "Thank you," he whispered back. He was silent for a moment, then he said, "But I don't understand how he was able to hide the fact that he'd sparked from me. I mean, puttin' aside the fact that his chest should have swollen up and all that slag, I never felt nothin' odd or unusual from his side of the bond, I never found his thoughts or feelings about Dark. It's just...puzzlin'."

Mirage made a strange noise in his vocalizer. "I don't know about the bond, Jazz, but I know why his chest never seemed swollen, why his periodic pains could be passed off for something other than his wiring short-circuiting." At Jazz's obliging and questioning look, he continued. "About a week after Prowl sparked, he went into medbay to have his chest looked at because the sensory nodes were bothering him. When Ratchet found the new Spark next to Prowl's own he called me immediately. He scanned Prowl, borrowed the tech specs for my holo projector and integrated that into Prowl. So, what you saw and felt about Prowl was actually a holographic image projected and maintained by him." Mirage hesitated. "I'm sorry, Jazz."

"Hey, no need to 'pologise, 'Raj. You did what you had to do. Trust me, I know how scary Prowler and the Hatchet could be together." He winked at the spy, making Mirage feel better. He jumped, though, when Hound gave him a nudge.

"So _that's_ why you were flinching every time Prowl was mentioned." Mirage nodded. Jazz just burst out laughing, hugging his daughter.

"Prowler told me that he'd punished you fer the first time since you joined Prime's team," he chuckled. "Of course, because it was Prowl, I believed him. Man, I never thought I'd live to see the day that he lied." Darkwing grabbed his arm at that.

"Mommy lie? You said mommy never lie, I never lie."

Jazz just grinned at her. "He had his reasons, baby girl. You just make sure you tell the truth, 'kay?"

"Unless it the De...Det...Depticons!" She chirped. Wheeljack nodded and put his hand on the little femme's head. "That's right, Dark. Unless it's the Decepticons."

--

It was one of the rare occasions that Darkwing was left on her own. Sure, Red Alert was probably keeping an eye on her from the monitoring center, but she didn't have her father or any of the other mechs trailing after her. Most of them were on small time missions, Jazz being on a recon one somewhere out of State. Thus, she was free to do whatever she liked.

Jumping around on the sofa in Jazz's office was fun at first, but she soon got bored and a little tired. So she rummaged through her father's things in the drawers around his desk, until she found something that she knew could provide her with at least some entertainment.

A large packet of colored marker pens.

Grabbing the packet and subspacing it, she hopped off the desk and ran out the door. Five minutes later brought her to the rec room, which was utterly deserted save for one mech who appeared to be deep in recharge.

Oh.

She grinned; this was perfect. Climbing carefully onto the chair in which he was recharging, she maneouvered herself until she was comfortably sat on the mech's chest. She took out the pens and proceeded to draw on the recharging mech's face, giggling softly the entire time.

--

Needless to say, Sideswipe wasn't happy when he woke up to his brother, Ratchet and Jazz laughing uproariously at him. When Sunny wordlessly handed him a mirror, Sideswipe could see all the pretty patterns and doodles that someone had happily drawn on his face. He gave a yell and stood up, throwing the mirror back at his still-laughing twin.

"Who did this?" he growled. Darkwing snickered and waved cheekily at him from where she was sat on Jazz's shoulder. Sideswipe gave her a glare. "You're getting too much like your father," he grumbled, and marched off to go wash his face clean of pen. Sunstreaker quieted a little once Sideswipe had gone and held up a hand towards Dark.

"She shoots, she scores! Nice one, Dark." The femme grinned and high-fived the yellow Lamborghini. Ratchet just shook his head; he hoped she'd gained enough of Prowl's sensibility to not go overboard with her pranks.

**

* * *

**

**Rae:** Darkwing's fun to write about, especially her interaction with the others. Jazz and Prowl's kid? (Giggles) Too much fun!


	3. Chapter 3

Darkwing and Sideswipe burst into the medbay, giggling like mad. Ratchet just raised an optic ridge as he took in the laughing 'Bots, not sure if he wanted to know.

"Primus, did you _see_ the look on Blue's face?" gasped Sideswipe.

"Priceless," agreed Darkwing, mirth still strong.

"Do I want to know?" asked Ratchet, putting his hands on his hips and reiterating his earlier thoughts. The red Lambo walked up to the medic and gave him a quick kiss. "We just saw Wheeljack and Bluestreak lip-locking in one of the lesser used corridors, and _damn_ their expressions when they realized we were there..." Sideswipe trailed off, snickering, and Darkwing's laughter increased.

Ratchet sighed, putting down the datapad he was currently uploading into his terminal. "You," he pointed at Sideswipe," had better stop harrassing 'Jack, and you," he moved his finger towards Dark, "are getting too much like your father for your own good."

Sideswipe put on an expression of mock astonishment, splaying his fingers over his windshield in a gesture of innocence. "Moi? Harrass 'Jack? I'd never do that, Ratch!" The ambulance snorted. "Besides," the red mech continued, "we just happened upon them. We were walking from Jazz's office to here. So we naturally used that corridor."

"Just be glad we didn't get any blackmail photos," added Darkwing with a grin.

"What do you two want, other than to try and give me CPU failure?" Ratchet asked, pressing his lips together in surpressed amusement and annoyance.

The two looked at each other, before Darkwing sighed sheepishly. "I kinda need patching up again, Ratch." She said, partially hiding behind the red Lamborghini twin.

"What were you doing this time?" growled the medic, wrenching her from behind Sideswipe and pushing her to lay down on a berth.

"I was...sparring."

"In other words, you got into a fight. Who with, and do they need patching up too?" Ratchet said waspishly.

"Umm... it was two of the minibots, and First Aid is seeing to them."

"They were really asking for it, Ratch," said Sideswipe quickly, before the medic could say anything. Ratchet made a noise of disbelief. "It's true," Sideswipe insisted. "They were mouthing her off, and Jazz too."

At that, the ambulance stopped banging out the dent he was working on to stare at Darkwing. Her expression was nearly as dark as her name. "What were they saying?" he asked, quietly.

"They said... they said that Dad didn't raise me right, that I'd turned out wrong and he didn't do a good enough job." She didn't look at Ratchet, but her visor flared briefly. "I wasn't about to let them get away with thinking they could bad-mouth my Dad and say that he failed Mom. I'm another matter; I can handle rumors and unkind comments aimed at me, but that was a really low blow."

"No, that's not right. But you still shouldn't have attacked them," Ratchet growled. He opened a comm link to his student. **:**_Aid, when you're done with those minibots, send them down to me._**:** First Aid sent his acknowledgement, and fifteen minutes later found Cliffjumper and Gears in Hatchet's Den, Darkwing fully repaired and heading for the door. Sideswipe chose to stay with Ratchet, his brother and the minibots, Sunstreaker having come in halfway through Dark's repairs.

The femme left the medbay, not wanting to be in either of the small mechs' places. Ratchet's tirades were things to be avoided at all costs, if you valued your chassis, your alt mode and your audio receptors just the way they were. The medic had been known to cut even Optimus down to size with his rebukes. She meandered her way back to her father's office, the one that had apparently been her mother's.

Prowl. That was her mother's name. It didn't seem odd to her that her mother had been a mech rather than a femme. In fact, it made her feel a little special. It was highly unusual for mechs to spark, so her parents' bond must have been strong. It nearly broke her Spark the first time she heard the whole story of what happened from when she was sparked to the night and day after she was born. She couldn't imagine the pain that her father must have gone through to so suddenly lose Prowl like that. Thus, when she heard the story she vowed to do her best no matter what, to keep her father proud of her and the memory of her mother very much alive.

So of course she'd become enraged when Cliffjumper and Gears had started hinting that her father had failed, both her mother and in raising her. She hadn't done much damage to them, as her fighting skills were still developing, but she knew enough defense to keep them from harming her too much. She sighed. Maybe Sunny was rubbing off on her a little.

--

Ratchet glared at the two small mechs in front of him, making them unconsciously move closer together. "Do you have _any_ idea how furious I am at those remarks you decided so stupidly to direct at Dark?" When they shook their heads, he growled.

"Well, let me just say if I _ever_ hear anything like that again, your new alt modes will be toasters and your personality chips completely rewired!" he snarled, before adding, "or I'll just hand you over to my boys here." He gestured towards Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Sunny was looking especially pleased at that. "You should know that there are several mechs who are watching out for Jazz, especially after Prowl died. We don't tolerate abuse towards him, verbally or otherwise." His optics narrowed and his voice took on a maliciously pleased edge. "Trust me when I say that Dark has the potential to become as good a fighter as Sunny here, and she's damn speedy too. Next time you provoke her by using her parents, try to remember that she won't hesitate to rip you apart." With that, Ratchet picked up the two minibots by the back armor plates and quite literally threw them out of the medbay.

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge and Sunstreaker giggled. "Was it really necessary to scare the slag outta them like that, love?" He asked, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Necessary, no. Deserved, yes." The medic replied bluntly, accepting a reassuring kiss from the yellow twin.

--

Jazz looked up as his office doors cycled open to admit his daughter. She looked a little downcast, and he immediately got up and hugged her. She grasped his armor tightly back, and he heard her mutter something that sounded like 'mom's proud'.

He pulled away and held her at arm's length. "What's up?" He asked softly, lowering himself to eye level.

"Nothing...just...Mom'd be proud of you," she said, equally as quiet. Jazz let some air out his systems slowly, and he sat back on his haunches.

"Thanks, baby girl. I'm glad y'think so. But...what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"You've been worrying about Mom lately. Thinking about him. I know you have, I've felt it." The femme wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Jazz chuckled.

"And you're always so perceptive. I dunno if you'll remember, but when you were three months old Siders and I took you to the monitorin' center to see Sunny. While we were there, you came over to me while I was broodin' and told me that I missed Prowl. You were bang on the mark." His arms came protectively around the 9-month-old youngling, tightening when she squeezed him comfortingly. "You were his final gift to me, and I ain't never lettin' anythin' happen to you."

"I love you too, Dad."

--

Later that same evening found Jazz knocking on Darkwing's door. When the femme didn't answer, he carefully opened the door himself. The sight that greeted him made him smile. Dark had some dance music playing, and was currently swaying softly but purposefully to the music. Chuckling, he slid in behind his daughter and grabbed her waist. He began to move the same way as Dark, swinging his frame in time to the beat. Darkwing was surprised at first, but readily started dancing again, giggling when Jazz began singing along. She always loved her father's singing voice; it had often been a major source of comfort. It was extremely smooth, with a slightly sultry and gravelly edge to it.

They were so caught up in their dancing that they never heard Optimus enter Dark's quarters with Ironhide close behind. The Prime started to say something, but stopped when he saw that they were in a world of their own. A contented smile slid onto his lips. Like father like daughter, he thought. He turned to face the weapons specialist.

"Leave them for now," he said quietly. Ironhide nodded, and the door cycled silently shut.

* * *

**Rae:** I love father-daughter moments. They're so much fun to write


	4. Chapter 4

Darkwing barely managed to side-step an incoming kick from Frenzy before she was locked in a fight with him. Despite being a fair bit smaller than the femme, the Cassetticon was still very scrappy and dangerous. They threw punches and kicks, dodging and twisting the whole while. It was Dark who eventually got the upper hand when she fired her gun at him unexpectedly, leaving him dazed and with part of his side ripped away. She gave him one last punch to make sure he stayed down for a while before running to the edge of the small cliff on which they'd been fighting. Launching herself off the edge, she gave a whoop that sounded very much like the twins' yells when they were playing Jet Judo. She landed square on top of Soundwave, who, up until that moment, had been trying to corner Wheeljack. The engineer nodded gratefully to her as she sped off to help Jazz, Bluestreak and Prime.

Prime was keeping Megatron's attentions on himself, as he so often did, and Jazz and Bluestreak were both trying to keep Menasor from crushing the other Autobots. She activated her transformation sequence, still thrilled that she could do so now, and the Corvette sped past Menasor to land right next to her father.

"Hey, baby girl! A little help?" He winced as a shot grazed his side.

"Whatcha need, Dad?" Darkwing lowered herself into a kneeling position and started shooting the gestalt formation. Jazz didn't reply, but threw her one end of his grappling rope. She understood immediately, and secured it to her bumper before transforming again.

"Yo Blue, think you can keep that thing distracted?" Jazz yelled to the gunner. Bluestreak nodded wordlessly, keeping up the barrage from his shoulder cannons. Jazz transformed, and without a word Darkwing started to circle Menasor to the right, and Jazz took the left. Soon, the grapple was wound several times around Menasor's legs, and without a prompt father and daughter suddenly took off in opposite directions in a straight line. Menasor's legs came out from under him, and the Stunticons broke their formation amidst cursing and yelps of surprise. Jazz quickly reeled in his grapple when Dark disentangled it from her front bumper. Once done she suddenly felt a jolt of energy in the back of her processer, but didn't take it as anything. She then took off, despite her father's yells, to challenge one or more of the Stunticons.

--

Five hours later and Ratchet was angrily berating Darkwing for taking on three Stunticons while fixing the femme's leg that had been blown clean off. She was very uncomfortable, not least because she was having to lie on her doorwings so the CMO could work properly.

"I was hoping that your father's periodical irresponsibility hadn't been passed down, but apparently it was in vain." He snarled, tugging purposefully on a wire. Dark yelped and gave Ratchet a reproachful look. "You're as bad as Sunny and Sides with your spontaneous ideas and actions," he continued, firing up his laser scalpel. "They don't know what their limits are either. The amount of times they get in over their heads-" he broke off and shook his head. "Bottom line, you don't do that again. Got it?"

The femme could only wince and nod as Ratchet started to re-attach the receptors and sensory wiring in her leg. "My bad, Ratch. My logic processer sorta froze up." At that, the medic stopped in the middle of routing a bundle of small wires through the missing appendage.

"You...what?"

Darkwing gave him a quizzical look and repeated slowly, "My logic processer froze up." She jumped when Ratchet gave a loud bark of laughter.

"You don't know how many times I heard that coming from your mother," he said, his voice full of mirth. "You sound just like him, only he said it much more stiffly."

Dark was silent for a moment, letting the medic continue his work, before she broke it with a question. "Ratch, what was my mother like from your point of view?"

Ratchet shut off the laser scalpel he held and sat down on the berth next to her. He sat quietly with a thoughtful look on his face for a couple of minutes, before deigning to give a reply. "Prowl was an incredible mech. He and Jazz were so close, even before they started seeing each other. Everyone could see them coming a mile away; they bantered like an old bonded couple. As weird as it was, the bantering seemed to strengthen their relationship."

He paused. "The week after your parents first bonded they couldn't stand to be separated from each other for more than half an hour. After that, they just assured themselves that the other was okay through the bond. We initially thought the bond would hamper them in battle, because if one got injured the other would feel it. Actually, it made them a near unstoppable force.

"Prowl was very much a long-range fighter, though he was perfectly capable of close combat, and your father's very much a heads-on fighter. Kind of like the twins. Put that together along with an unspoken knowledge of what the other was going to do and they made sure that neither got so much as a scratch while the enemy got a beating they wouldn't soon forget. It was very rare they were in my medbay, and if they were it was usually Prowl's doorwings acting up." The medic grinned. "Your mother was strict, yet fair, and he cared deeply about everyone in the Ark. Even if it didn't always seem like it. His dedication to the Autobot cause is one I haven't seen the likes of since Optimus." Ratchet sighed. "I do miss him. You're a lot like him, you know."

He picked up the laser scalpel and turned it on, getting back to re-attaching Darkwing's leg. Dark didn't speak, just let everything that Ratchet had said sink in. In the shadows of the medbay doors, unnoticed by either Autobot, stood Jazz, having heard everything that Ratchet had told his daughter. He brought a hand up to his mouth to mask a sob and a hitched intake of air before he swiftly and silently left the medical center.

--

Darkwing felt a tug at her Spark, a tug of sheer sadness and longing that could only come from one mech. Letting the medbay doors shut behind her, she moved off in the direction of her father's quarters, stretching her doorwings and trying to ease the ache. When she reached his quarters, however, she heard Jazz's hitched intakes of air that could only translate as sobs. She debated with herself for a moment as to whether she should go in or not, but eventually decided against it.

Dark headed to the rec room, well aware that the tug on her Spark was still there. It was starting to affect her mood as well, and Sideswipe seemed to be the first to notice. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's up, Dark? You look down in the dumps."

She stared into Sideswipe's optics for a moment before lowering her head and moving forward so her frame was resting against the Lamborghini's. He put both hands on her shoulders this time, not expecting the move.

"It's Dad," she mumbled into his chest. "He's upset. He's missing Mom, I think, but not like any time I've ever seen him. He's really really longing for him, to the point where my Spark hurts too, and I don't know what to do." Sideswipe's optic's widened at that.

"Just let him be for now," he replied. "Go see him later. He just needs some time and a bit of space."

The femme nodded and stepped back. "Thanks, Siders." The red mech grinned and sauntered back to Sunny, Bluestreak and Mirage, gracelessly flopping down next to his twin. Darkwing watched them for a moment before deciding to grab a cube of energon and join them.

--

It was about two hours later that Dark decided to go check on her father and see how he was doing. She bid the other mechs in the room good evening to replies in kind, and headed for his quarters. Her Spark still hurt a bit, but not as badly as before. Reaching the room she tapped in the code, and the door cycled silently open. Jazz was sat on the windowsill with his legs dangling out of the window and his head turned up towards the sky. He gave no indication that he'd heard anyone come in. That fact that he hadn't was confirmed when Dark started singing softly, and he whipped around to see who had come in.

Dark smiled softly, but didn't stop singing. Jazz slowly went back to watching the sky, and the ache of Dark's Spark eased a bit more. He joined in with the song, so quietly at first that Dark was sure she was imagining it. Together they sang, just the two of them, Jazz keening out his sorrows and Darkwing comforting him with the thing that connected them both so strongly. Music.

So heard Optimus and Ratchet when they stopped outside the saboteur's quarters. They stood and listened to the tune for a while, taking in Jazz's smooth voice complimented by Darkwing's husky one. It was hauntingly beautiful, sending shivers through both mechs.

"I think he'll be okay," whispered Ratchet to Optimus. "Sides said Dark was actually quite shook up about her father, but it seems she's found a way to ease both their fears." The Prime nodded.

"Jazz is lucky to have her," he rumbled quietly. "He'll be okay as long as she's around. Losing Prowl is something I'm not sure he'll ever recover from."

The CMO hummed in agreement. "I don't think he'll ever bond with anyone again. Hell, I'm not sure he could even if he wanted to." He stood for a couple more minutes, drinking in the emotions in the music. "Let's go," he said, finally. "I don't think they're coming out tonight."

The two mechs left, one lost in thought about Jazz, Prowl and Darkwing, and the other concentrating on sending news and reassurances to his slightly anxious bondmates.

--

Darkwing unshuttered her optics at a gentle touch she felt on her head to see Jazz softly stroking her chevron. He grinned when he noticed her watching him, through his grin seemed a little tired and washed out. She gave him a warm smile back, and when Jazz took his daughter in a hug she returned it fiercely.

They stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying each other's comfort and presence, before Dark spoke up quietly. "You okay now?" She asked.

The saboteur inclined his head. "Thanks for las' night, baby girl. I needed it."

Dark pulled away a bit and shrugged. "It was the only thing I could think of. It's the Universal Language, isn't it? Music, that is."

Jazz chuckled and drew Darkwing back into him, this time so her back was to his chest and he could place his chin on top of her head. "Indeed it is. Prowler always knew what mood I was in depending on th'music I played. If I was playin' rock, jazz or pop-rock, he knew I was in a good mood. If I was playin' stuff like metal or blues or somethin' along those lines, I wouldn't be in the best of moods. If I was playin' classical, I was broodin'. If it was rap or hip-hop, you'd pretty much avoid me at all costs." He shuttered his optics. "Prowler never really listened to music, but he knew it damn well. He could sing, too. I was surprised when I heard him sing fer the first time. Your voice is like his, you know. Husky, but perfectly rounded and mellow."

The femme giggled. "Really?" Jazz's visor brightened in confirmation. Dark looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then an idea seemed to hit her. "You know what we should have?" She said excitedly, lighting up like the youngling she still was.

"No, what?" Jazz sounded highly amused.

"We should have a karaoke night!" She exclaimed with the air of having said something life-changing. At that, Jazz stared at her.

"What?! What in Primus' name brought that thought?"

"No, think about it!" she persisted. "They're great fun, it'd be a chance for everyone to get together and relax, a rare chance for some to get overcharged-" Jazz snorted at that one.

"-and we can show off or embarrass the Pit out of ourselves! Primus knows we need the break."

Jazz was silent, contemplating his daughter's idea. He weighed up the pros and cons of it, before lifting his heading and meeting Darks optics. "It does sound cool, and I haven't thrown a party in ages. Let's do it." Dark let out a noise of joy and leapt for the door, Jazz following close behind.

* * *

**Rae:** Ahhh, music. Love it. It's the thing that connects us all, I believe.


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright, and now we have two mechs who can never seem to sort out their differences. So, I offered them the chance to decide once and fer all who is the better mech. Put your hands together fer Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better'!" Jazz started the applause and stepped off the makeshift stage to allow the twins the spotlight. He maneouvered his way to where Ratchet, Darkwing and Wheeljack were sat drinking energon while watching the mechs on stage.

The saboteur flopped himself down next to Wheeljack, mumbling something about the fact that he'd have be back up there in a couple of minutes to announce the next act. The inventor looked highly amused. "We were just talking with your daughter," he said amiably. "Ratchet and I both think this was a really good idea. We haven't seen anybody this relaxed in...well, years." He nodded to the other side of the room, where Optimus was happily chatting to Powerglide, Air Raid, Hound and Ironhide. "Even Prime's relaxed, and I swear that ain't happened since the war began."

Jazz let a huff of air escape his vents noisily, but grinned. "Yeah, it was a good idea. I'll admit I was skeptical at first, and think so was Prime when we went to him with idea, but it's turned out pretty damn well." He let out a soft 'slaggit' when the twins ended their song to loud applause; they were actually pretty damn good singers. He hadn't finished getting up, however, when Sideswipe took the microphone.

"I'll save Jazz the trouble of announcing the next act, simply because he doesn't know what it is." The red warrior snickered. "We're calling a dare to Darkwing, so if she wants to come up we can give it to her." Darkwing sat and stared at the twins for a moment before getting up and making her way onto the stage. Sideswipe lowered the microphone and whispered something to the Corvette. She glared at him for several seconds before sighing and nodding. Sideswipe looked gleeful, and raised the mic.

"We now hear Darkwing with 'Shut Up and Drive'." He laughed and handed the mic to the femme. Jazz, Ratchet and Wheeljack looked at each other before bursting into giggles, and whistling when she started to sing.

"_I've been looking for a driver who is qualified, so if you think that you're the one step into my ride..._" Her slightly sultry voice soon garnered the attention of most of the room, most through amusement but almost all with respect to her voice. It was very quickly clear to those in the rec room who's voice she had inherited, although those that had heard Prowl singing to himself on occasion could hear the tactician in her voice as well.

"_Get you where you wanna go, if you know what I mean, got a ride that's smoother than a limousine..._" On the lines that went 'can you handle the curves, can you run all the lights', Dark ran her hands down the sides of her chassis, earning her several wolf-whistles. Jazz just watched his daughter sway to the music, moving perfectly in time. He started unconsciously moving with her, lost in the memories of how Prowl looked so similar when he moved to his favorite music; jazz. Yes, he thought, it was the mech Jazz he liked moving to as well, but the music was just Prowl's absolute favorite genre. So halfway through his daughter's song, he decided to take it upon himself to sing a song for Prowl. One of his best-loved songs.

After some pretty noisy and enthusiastic cheering and clapping for Darkwing, Jazz walked up onto the stage, where she handed him the microphone. He sent her a small grin before turning to the audience. "Now, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to sing a song myself. It was one o' Prowler's favorite songs ever, and I'm not sure he ever got round to hearin' me sing it. So, without further ado, I'll be singin' 'For The Love of You'."

Taking a deep breath, he let the gentle beginning guitar rifts and smooth drums wash over him before he started the lyrics. "_Hey baby, I'm living for you. Drifting on a memory, ain't no place I'd rather be..._" His voice was soft yet full of emotion as he sang. His optics also displayed a wide array of emotions, ranging from sorrow to sheer, unadulterated joy. "_I wanna be living, for the love of you. All that I'm giving is for the love of you..._"

He continued on, a full, rich voice that reverberated around the room and seemed to tug at the Spark of every mech there. He looked happier singing that song than many of them had seen him in a while, but there was still a slight pang of longing in the way he sang lyrics.

"_See, time will tell, 'cause it seems that I've just about done all that I can do..._" He voice lowered in volume to nearly a whisper. "_I wanna be living, for the love of you. All that I'm giving is for the love of you._"

There was silence as the last few bars of music faded away, and then thunderous applause. Everyone there had felt the emotions rolling through the song in waves, and were now showing the utmost appreciation for it. Even Cliffjumper and Gears were applauding. As Jazz stepped away from the microphone to give a bow, he suddenly felt something jump onto him from the side. He instinctively hugged whoever it was, and was a little surprised to see Darkwing staring at him with a retracted visor and wide optics. They seemed to have a really faraway look to them, though, as if she wasn't registering what she was seeing, and when she spoke it nearly scared him to death.

"That was beautiful, Jazz. Thank you." Her voice wasn't her own, but one of a mech whom he knew so very well, one who'd captured his Spark and never let go.

"Prowler..." He stared, dumbfounded, at her daughter, who gave him a smile just like Prowl used to give. "I love you," Prowl's voice whispered, before Dark's optics fluttered shut and she pitched forwards into her father's arms.

"Dark! You okay?" The Porsche picked her up piggy-back style when she didn't reply and took the microphone again. "Sideswipe, can you do the announcements fer a while? Dark's just offlined herself." The red mech nodded and stepped up. Jazz carried Dark back to the table they'd been sharing with Ratchet and Wheeljack, and placed her carefully on one of the chairs. Ratchet narrowed his optics. "What happened?" he demanded, immediately getting up and scanning her.

"I...I don't know, Ratch." Jazz sat down rather suddenly, feeling as though hs legs would no longer support him. "When she hugged me on stage she...her optics..." He coughed as his voice broke, and he stayed silent for a few seconds before trying again. "It was Prowl," he said.

The medic looked up from his scans, startled, and Wheeljack stared at him incredulously. "Jazz," the inventor said slowly, "Prowl's dead. That can't have been him."

"But it was!" the saboteur insisted. "Dark's optics were really far away, not registerin' anythin', and then she spoke to me in Prowl's voice, tellin' me the song was beautiful and he loved me, and she smiled at me exa'tly how he used to, and...aw slag." Jazz trailed off, looking at the still-offline Dark. Ratchet and Wheeljack shared a look, before the CMO switched some settings on his scanner. This time, he ran the scanner just over Darkwing's helm and face.

He gasped when the scanner beeped some results back at him. "'Jack," he said unsteadily, "look at this." The Lancia took the scanner and gaped at the screen, before slowly letting his optics come to rest on Dark.

"She..." The medic nodded, and Jazz demanded to know what they were talking about. Ratchet gave the saboteur a blank look, before saying, "There was someone else in her head, Jazz. In her CPU. You can't do that without leaving a signature, a unique code that can identify a mech. This is the code that came up in my scan." He took the device from Wheeljack and handed it to Jazz. The Porsche looked at the signature, and then at the profile it came up with. His Spark jumped and stuttered for a millisecond.

Prowl.

It _was_ Prowl that had spoken to him, through the thing that still connected them. Their daughter. He slowly drew the femme into an embrace, muttering, "I love you too, Prowler. I always will."

--

Darkwing's optics flickered online to find herself laid on a berth in a darkened room. It took her a moment as she hauled herself into a sitting position to recognize it as her own room. She stood up, stretching out some kinks in her back, before remembering the party last night. Or what she could of it, anyway. She frowned as she realized the last thing she remembered was watching her father start singing her mother's favorite song. Then, nothing. Blank-out.

Deciding to go searching for her dad, she cycled open the door and walked swiftly down the corridors that led to Jazz's office. The mech wasn't in when she reached her destination, but she didn't miss the datapad that sat at an angle on the desk. Bored and curious, she picked it up and read it. And then gasped. It was Jazz's report to Optimus about the karaoke evening, but what made her start was the part she read about herself.

The report informed her that she'd gone up onto stage after Jazz's performance and spoken to him. Except it wasn't her voice or her smile or her words. It was Prowl's. Ratchet's medical scan seemed to confirm that, it stated. Darkwing dropped the datapad in shock and stared at her hands for several seconds, before bringing one of them up to her chest where her Spark resided.

"Mom," she whispered to the empty room. "Did you really...?" _Really take me over to talk to Dad?_ Her thoughts finished what her vocalizer could not. She suddenly sank to her knees, feeling inexplicably weak, and was surprised to find her cheeks wet. She was crying, she realized, but not for herself.

_They loved each other so much, didn't they?_

* * *

**Rae:** The songs are all credited to the artists, they do not belong to me. 'Anything You Can Do' is by Bernadette Peters and Ton Wopat. 'Shut Up And Drive' is by Rihanna. 'For The Love Of You' is by Norman Brown.


	6. Chapter 6

Jazz came back to his office after a rather gruelling day of helping Mirage gather intel on the latest Decepticon activity. He sighed and put the cube of energon he'd paused to get in the rec room down on his desk before turning the lights on. He bit back a startled yelp when he saw another mech recharging on the sofa. It turned out to be Darkwing.

Jazz smiled gently and sat down next to her, stroking her horns idly. She groaned at the touch and shifted a little, but didn't wake up. It was then that Jazz noticed the datapad next to her on the floor and the slight dampness of her cheeks.

Feeling his Spark tug sharply, he picked up the pad and looked at where she'd scrolled down to. The part describing her channeling of Prowl. "Aw slag," he whispered. Staring at the report for a few moments, he suddenly got up and kissed Dark on the side of the helm before marching out the door.

--

After dropping off the report for Prime, Jazz headed straight for medical, nearly bowling over several mechs in his hurry. Once there he glanced around the bay, seeing only First Aid and Swoop looking quizzically at him.

"Ratchet. Where?" He asked with a fierce intenseness that made First Aid flinch slightly. Swoop pointed to Wheeljack's lab. "Me Swoop think him Ratchet went to see him Wheeljack," he offered indifferently, apparently unruffled by the saboteur's mood.

Jazz nodded his thanks and went to knock on Wheeljack's door. The answering "Come in!" was barely completed when the door opened. Sure enough, Ratchet was sat on Wheeljack's desk, while the inventor himself was in his chair. Making sure the door closed fully behind him, Jazz walked over to the two friends.

"What happened las' night? Do either of you know?"

"I don't know, no, but I do have a theory," replied Ratchet. A inperceptible shiver ran through him when Jazz turned the full force of his gaze on him. "I think that Prowl has always been existant in your life after he died, whether you know it or not. When you two created Darkwing's Spark, Prowl left a permanent imprint on it. As did you. Prowl might have been able to use that imprint as a means back to you, providing him with a temporary body and mouth." He paused. "However, to even _consider_ that occuring, the bond that bound you two together must have been exceptionally strong, so much so that it still lingers in Dark's mind and Spark on Prowl's imprint."

"So...Prowl's still out there?" Jazz's look softened. "I thought he'd have moved on by now, waitin' fer me to come back to him."

Ratchet shook his head. "I believe that our loved ones never truly leave us. Certainly not bondmates, anyway. But to make his presence known like that..." The CMO sagged a little on the desk. "So, how's Dark?"

"Rechargin' on my sofa, las' time I checked," said Jazz quietly. "She saw my report, Ratch. She knows what happened last night. And she'd been cryin', too."

"Well, shit." Ratchet brought a hand up to his face, and Jazz nearly snickered at the human phrase the medic would most likely have picked up from Sparkplug.

"It only put into perspective how much you two loved each other, and still do now even after Mom departed this world," said a new voice casually. They all turned round to see Dark leaning up against the door frame, a mixture of expressions on her face but the most prominent one being understanding. "And I wasn't crying because I was sad," she added, defensively. "I...don't know why I started crying. All I can think is that I was crying the tears Mom is unable to." She shrugged.

Jazz was silent at that, not taking his optics off his daughter. Without thinking about it, without even realizing it, he reached across to her with his mind until he found her presence in his head. Once found, he anchored himself into it. He only realized what he was doing what Dark visibly stiffened and her visor lit up.

**:**_You okay?_**:** Dark brought a hand up to her mouth in shock when she heard Jazz's 'voice' reverberate in her head. Unconsciously, she followed his route back to him and answered in kind.

**:**_I'm okay, yeah._**:** She paused, well aware that Ratchet and Wheeljack were both staring them**. :**_What...what is this?_**:**

Jazz and Darkwing both had their optics riveted to each others as Jazz asked, "Ratch?"

"Hm?" The medic turned to look at the saboteur.

"Why can we hear each other's voices in our heads? It's like what used to happen with Prowl, only...different."

Ratchet snorted, breaking the atmosphere slightly. "I'm surprised it's taken you two this long to discover it," he grumbled good-naturedly. "You two are bonded, by family. You've always had a bond, that's why you're so empathetic towards each other. It works the same way as a normal bond, but it has a completely different principle. This one was created directly by your Spark, Jazz, when you helped Prowl spark. If Prowl were alive, he'd be bonded to her too." He paused to let his words sink in, and Wheeljack took over.

"Your Sparks actively seek one another because they've lost part of themselves, and they need something to anchor in. You don't have a choice in this bond. Despite this bond, Dark will always be able to bond with another mech, because their Spark will be foreign and her permission is needed before it allows that kind of access to her systems."

**:**_So this is what you shared with Mom?_**:** asked Dark, and Jazz chuckled.

**:**_Almost_: he answered. **:**_Damn near enough, anyway._**:** He stretched languorously. "Thanks Ratchet, Wheeljack." He said. Both mechs nodded, and Jazz pushed Dark out the door after bidding them goodbye.

--

Dark immersed herself in their bond again on the way back to Jazz's quarters, and the saboteur laughed at her amazement that she could do so.

**:**_So, you got yourself anyone special you want to tell me about?_**:** He asked, amusement leaking through.

Dark looked flustered as she quickly replied. **:**_No._**:**

**:**_Too quick an answer! You're lyin', baby girl. Now who is it?_**:**

There was silence from her end as Jazz could feel her contemplating whether to tell him or not, but she was saved answering when Jazz snickered. **:**_Don't tell me, then. I'll figure it out one way or another. I like a challenge._**:** He grinned at his last words, and Dark punched him lightly.

They continued in a comfortable silence until they reached the Porsche's quarters. It was then that Jazz turned and grinned cheekily at Dark before saying, "It ain't Siders or Sunny, now, is it?"

Darkwing glared at him, aghast. "As if!" she said. "Ratchet would scrap me and sell me for spare parts!"

"Hmm, I could use a new set of brakes..." Jazz broke off and ducked into his room, laughing, when Dark threw a datapad she'd had sub-spaced at him with a strangled, "Dad!"


	7. Chapter 7

The sounds of battle continued raging around Jazz, though it didn't really register with him. His CPU was still scrambled after that last attack by Soundwave and Thundercracker. It left him feeling disorientated and somewhat fuzzy. He crawled his way on to where he could vaguely make out a small outcrop of rocks ahead of him. His leg had been completely ripped off, and fritzing wires, cables and energon piping were dangling freely from it. There was a huge hole in the side of his chest from a lucky shot by Blitzwing. His insides were all torn up from the attack, and his internal scanner indicated that the damage around his Spark chamber and chest area was too extensive to be repaired. His cooling systems were frantically trying to get his body back down to an acceptable temperature, but with the amount of coolant he'd lost so far it was a futile attempt.

He seemed numb to his pain, though, and eventually he reached the rock outcrop. He nestled his frame between two boulders for shelter, and found himself wondering how Dark was faring.

Darkwing.

His pride and joy, and Prowl's last gift to him. The gift of life. He remembered the first time he'd held her, feeding her a bottle of energon. Man, she'd been hungry. He chuckled and winced in pain he recalled giving her four bottles of the stuff before she was satisfied. She'd fallen straight to sleep afterwards. He remembered holding her close to his chest in sheer wonderment that this bundle of life was his, remembered her tiny fingers closing around his middle one in her sleep.

Ratchet had asked him, after about five weeks of caring for her, why he'd chosen the name 'Darkwing'. He'd come up with an immediate answer; it had been Prowl's favorite name. Although unsure where it came from, Jazz remembered Prowl mentioning it to him one night after they'd reaffirmed their bond

**'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**

_They were sitting on the windowsill watching the stars in the night sky, and Prowl suddenly said to him, "Jazz, do you like the name 'Darkwing'?"_

_Jazz considered the name for a moment. "Yeah, I do. It's a cool-soundin' one. Why?"_

_"No reason. It's just, I've always liked that name. I wondered if you did too."_

_Jazz nuzzled Prowl's helm. __**:**__I like your name better, though. It's so...sexy.__**:**_

_**:**__And you're insatiable.__**:**__ Prowl sent back, amused, and accepted a long and lingering kiss from Jazz. He broke the kiss to moan out loud when Jazz ran a light hand over the tactician's doorwings, and he returned the favor by tweaking Jazz's horns, earning mewls of pleasure from the Porsche._

**'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''**

Jazz shivered at the ghost of Prowl's touch he felt through reliving those memories. His chest was starting to ache, he realized, and immediately started clamping down on his pain receptors. As soon as he did, though, warning messages started flashing across his visor, reporting imminent total system shutdown in less than five minutes. The saboteur shuttered his optics.

--

He must have passed out, he realized, because he unshuttered his optics to see Ratchet working frantically to get his systems to stabalize. Next to him, Sideswipe was holding his hand and Sunstreaker was trying to help Ratchet where he could. A presence behind him and a firm hold in the bond told him that Darkwing had his head in her lap, supporting him and stroking his head, and her mind fully immersed in the bond to anchor him shield him from pain. He smiled wanly as he felt how fruitless the attempts to save his life were.

He could feel Dark's panic slip through her block every so often. He sent reassurance across their bond that he was okay, and she responded with the mental equivalent of a hug.

**:**_The Pit you're okay_**:** she sent, fiercely. Jazz chuckled weakly at that.

**:**_Can't keep it from you, can I?_**:**

**:**_No._**: **There was a pregnant pause, before she said meekly, **:**_You're...leaving us, aren't you?_**:**

**:**_If you wanna put it that way._**: **Jazz coughed, expelling energon and coolant. It dripped down one side of his chin as Dark barely held back a hiccupping sob. Ratchet swore violently, and Sideswipe's grip tightened.

**:**_I'm so...so tired, Dark._**: **He whispered. She nodded, tears dripping silently down her cheeks. **:**_Prowl...Prowl's waitin' fer me. He promised he would._**:**

**:**_Then go to him._**:** She chided silently through a gulf of sorrow. Jazz sent a powerful wave of love, reassurance and pride back to her, and she relaxed marginally.

**:**_I love you, baby girl. And I'm so, so proud of you._**: **Jazz hitched an intake of air as his systems slowed down.

**:**_Tell Mom I love him. Tell him I'll make both of you proud._**:**

**:**_We already are, Dark. We'll be there...when you come._**:** Darkwing pressed her lips gently against her father's helm as his life force ebbed away, crying for the both of them. **:**_We'll always be watchin' you. From here._**:** Jazz slowly raised a hand and pressed it to her chest plates, right where her Spark was located, before it fell away limply and Ratchet's field support machines started beeping at him.

Darkwing could do nothing but weep, feel her Spark break and watch as her father joined her mother in the Well of All-Sparks.

--

"Dad died on the battlefield, as, from what I know, did Mom. They died protecting the Autobot cause, and I will endeavour to do the same. I may never live up to their reputations, but I'll create my own path to follow. Their deaths will not be in vain; I will see this war through to its end, whatever it may be. I will hold my head up high, knowing I am the daughter of two legendary Autobots and that I will never be alone. I have my friends at my side and my parents in my Spark. I am extremely proud of them, as I hope they are of me, and I know that they will forever be at peace with each other." Darkwing ended her speech and walked away from the microphone towards her father's casket. She kissed him gently on the forehead and placed a single white lily on his chest. That done, she stepped back and stood in silence to take in Jazz's still features.

She knew his body was just an empty shell now. It was his Spark that made him alive. It didn't stop her thinking that he was going to sit up, visor flashing in amusement, and tell everyone that he was joking. She didn't cry; she was all cried out now, but she stared in remorse at Jazz's handsome shell. She only moved when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came up behind her and offered her a silent comfort when she turned and wrapped her arms around them.

--

After Jazz's funeral, Darkwing went outside the Ark to sit on the mountain into which the ship had crashed. She stared up at the stars twinkling in the night sky, wondering how many times she and Jazz had done this together. Her thoughts drifted to how happy her father must be to be re-united with his bondmate, and as a breeze picked up and flew past her she fancied she could hear two laughs from within.

Her Spark seemed to warm as the breeze danced around her, and she felt her spirits pick up a little. A whisper in her audio, a light touch on her neck and a flutter in her Spark told her all she needed to understand, and she flopped backwards to lie on the ground. Turning on her side she let a small but happy smile grace her lips, knowing her Spark would heal a little now, before she fell into a deep and peaceful recharge.

* * *

**Rae:** Mmmm, I little bit angsty towards the end, but I think it came out okay. Or I hope it did, anyway. Hope y'all enjoyed, please review!


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